Boost Mobile hiking Android data charge by $5

Just a day before Boost Mobile puts the Android-powered Samsung Transform Ultra on the market, it's bumping up the price of its all-in-one data plan for Android phones by $5 a month, from $50 to $55 per month.

While nobody likes rate hikes, Boost will continue to sweeten the deal with its Shrinkage Plan, which lowers customers' monthly plans by $5 for every six on-time payments (not necessarily consecutive), down to a minimum of $40 per month.

As of October 6, Boost's existing Android owners will get their $50 monthly rate grandfathered in until they upgrade to a new handset, after which they'll see the $5 rate hike but won't lose their Shrinkage standing.

Rate hikes are a fact of life with carriers, especially as market pressures to maintain and expand their data networks strain their own bottom line. Timing the rate increase with the Samsung Transform Ultra release hints at Boost Mobile's sales expectations for the device. The more new Android users it has, the more all-you-can-eat data its customers will use.